Hipster Revolt In The Making

Canadian shmata man, Dov Charney, founder of the famously sweat shop free, American Apparel, reveals in a recent Newsweek piece that the chain is test selling some flip-flops made in Thailand:

“I had a guy from one of the largest banks in the world tell me, ‘We can’t get our arms around the fact you haven’t gone offshore’,” says Charney. (He confirmed last week that the company is test-selling “a few hundred pairs” of Thai flip-flops in a half-dozen stores, but says the brand’s philosophy isn’t compromised: “I make a million pieces of clothing in our factory.”)

Now I’m really not sure what this comment about the flip-flops means as it is so vague and obfuscating it basically amounts to saying nothing. The prospect of going offshore, however, is most certainly a slippery slope, and if Dov wants the money, and most people do, American Apparel probably won’t remain so “American” for that much longer.